In November 1755,
Pasquale PaoliFilippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica. Paoli designed and wrote the Constitution of this first democratic republic of the modern age himself...
proclaimed
CorsicaCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
a
sovereign nationSovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, the
Corsican Republic, independent from the
Republic of GenoaThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from 1005 to 1797, when it was invaded by armies of Revolutionary France under Napoleon. It was then succeeded by the Ligurian Republic, which existed until 1805 before being annexed by the...
. He created the
Corsican ConstitutionThe first Corsican Constitution was drawn up in 1755 for the short-lived Corsican Republic and remained in force until the annexation of Corsica by France in 1769...
, which was the first
constitutionA constitution is a set of rules for government—often codified as a written document—that establishes principles of an autonomous political entity. In the case of countries, this term refers specifically to a national constitution defining the fundamental political principles, and establishing the...
written under
EnlightenmentThe Age of Enlightenment, or simply The Enlightenment, is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life, centered upon the eighteenth century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority....
principles, including the first implementation of female suffrage, later revoked by the French when they took over the island in 1769. The republic created an
administrationThe term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "George W...
, justice system, and founded an army.
After a series of successful actions Paoli drove the
GenoeseThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from 1005 to 1797, when it was invaded by armies of Revolutionary France under Napoleon. It was then succeeded by the Ligurian Republic, which existed until 1805 before being annexed by the...
from the whole island except for a few coastal towns.
In November 1755,
Pasquale PaoliFilippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica. Paoli designed and wrote the Constitution of this first democratic republic of the modern age himself...
proclaimed
CorsicaCorsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
a
sovereign nationSovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, the
Corsican Republic, independent from the
Republic of GenoaThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from 1005 to 1797, when it was invaded by armies of Revolutionary France under Napoleon. It was then succeeded by the Ligurian Republic, which existed until 1805 before being annexed by the...
. He created the
Corsican ConstitutionThe first Corsican Constitution was drawn up in 1755 for the short-lived Corsican Republic and remained in force until the annexation of Corsica by France in 1769...
, which was the first
constitutionA constitution is a set of rules for government—often codified as a written document—that establishes principles of an autonomous political entity. In the case of countries, this term refers specifically to a national constitution defining the fundamental political principles, and establishing the...
written under
EnlightenmentThe Age of Enlightenment, or simply The Enlightenment, is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life, centered upon the eighteenth century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority....
principles, including the first implementation of female suffrage, later revoked by the French when they took over the island in 1769. The republic created an
administrationThe term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "George W...
, justice system, and founded an army.
Foundation
After a series of successful actions Paoli drove the
GenoeseThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from 1005 to 1797, when it was invaded by armies of Revolutionary France under Napoleon. It was then succeeded by the Ligurian Republic, which existed until 1805 before being annexed by the...
from the whole island except for a few coastal towns. He then set to work to reorganize the government, introducing many reforms. He founded a
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
at
CorteCorte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:...
. He created a short-lived "Order of Saint-Devote" in 1757 in honor of the patron saint of the island, Saint Devota.
http://www.gouv.mc/devwww/wwwnew.nsf/1909$/7f82f4dc1f0415d9c125706f00468819gb
A national parliament or
DietIn politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day". The word came to be used in this sense because assemblies met on a daily basis which is reflected in the German language use of Tagung and -tag...
was composed of delegates elected from each district for three-year terms. Suffrage was extended to all men over the age of 25. Traditionally, women had always voted in village elections for podestat, village
eldersThe term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...
, and other local officials, and it has been claimed that they also voted in national elections under the Republic.
The Republic minted its own coins at
MuratoMurato is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica....
in 1761, imprinted with the Moor's Head, traditional symbol of Corsica.
Paoli's ideas of independence, democracy and liberty gained support from such philosophers as
Jean-Jacques RousseauJean Jacques Rousseau was a major philosopher, writer, and composer of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought.His novel, Emile: or, On Education, which he considered his most...
,
VoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, and philosopher known for his wit and his defense of civil liberties, including both freedom of religion and free trade.Voltaire was a prolific writer and produced works in almost every...
, Raynal,
MablyGabriel Bonnot de Mably , sometimes known as Abbé de Mably, was a French philosopher and politician...
. The publication in 1766 of
An Account of Corsica by
James BoswellJames Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson...
made Paoli famous all over Europe.
Diplomatic recognitionDiplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act, with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government...
was extended to Corsica by the
Bey of TunisThe Bey and Possessor of the Kingdom of Tunis was the title of the Head of state of Tunisia from the early 18th century, through the time when the country was a French protectorate, until 1956. The title dates back to Tunisia's incorporation into the Ottoman Empire, when bey was the title of the...
.
French invasion
In 1767 Corsica took the island of
CapraiaCapraia, called Capraria in ancient times, is an island of Italy, part of the Tuscan Archipelago, off the northwest coast, belonging to the Province of Livorno. It is 62 km from the city of Livorno by sea, and 32 km northwest of the island of Elba; it is slightly closer to the French...
from the Genoese, who, one year later, despairing of ever being able to subjugate Corsica again, with the
Treaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles was concluded on May 15 1768 at Versailles between the Republic of Genoa and France. Genoa put Corsica in pledge to France.Corsica was ruled by Genoa since 1284. In the 18th century Corsicans started to seek their independence...
sold their rights over it to the
Kingdom of FranceEarly Modern France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
.
The French invaded Corsica the same year, and for one year Paoli's forces fought desperately for their new republic against the new invaders. However, in May 1769 he was defeated at the
Battle of Ponte NovuThe Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9, 1769 between royal French forces under the Comte de Vaux, a seasoned professional soldier with an expert on mountain warfare on his staff, and the native Corsicans under Carlo Salicetti...
by vastly superior forces under the Comte de Vaux, and obliged to take refuge in the
Kingdom of Great BritainThe Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801...
. French control was consolidated over the island, and in 1770 it formally became a province of France.
Aftermath
The fall of Corsica to the French was poorly received by many in Corsica's main ally and sponsor, the
Kingdom of Great BritainThe Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801...
, where it was seen as a failure of the Ministry that they had "lost" Corsica, which was seen as vital to the interests of Britain in the Western Mediterranean. A number of exiled Corsicans fought for the British during the War of American Independence, serving with particular distinction during the
Great Siege of GibraltarThe Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. This was the largest action fought during the war in terms of numbers particularly the Grand Assault of the 18 September 1782...
.
The aspiration for Corsican independence, along with many of the democratic principles of the Corsican Republic, were revived by Paoli in the
Anglo-Corsican KingdomThe Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was a short-lived self-declared independent state on the island of Corsica during the mid-1790s.-Background and history of the kingdom:...
of 1794-1796. On that occasion British naval and land forces were deployed in defence of the island, but again the attempt collapsed and the French regained control.
To this day, some Corsican separatists such as
Armata CorsaArmata Corsa was an underground separatist terrorist organization in Corsica, today disbanded. Founded by Larchmont, NY native Bill Corsa in 1999, Mr. Corsa was instrumental in the organizations growth in the early part of 2000's. Bill Corsa was diagnosed with several psychological disorders,...
advocate the restoration of the island's republic.
See also
- Corsican Constitution
The first Corsican Constitution was drawn up in 1755 for the short-lived Corsican Republic and remained in force until the annexation of Corsica by France in 1769...
- Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica. Paoli designed and wrote the Constitution of this first democratic republic of the modern age himself...
- History of Corsica
That the history of Corsica has been influenced by its strategic position at the heart of the western Mediterranean and its maritime routes, only from Sardinia, from the Isle of Elba, from the coast of Tuscany and from the French port of Nice, was first proposed by the 19th-century German...
- Corsican Crisis
The Corsican Crisis was an event in British politics during 1768-69. It was precipitated by the invasion of the island of Corsica by France. The British government under the Duke of Grafton failed to intervene, for which it was widely criticised and which contributed to its downfall in early...
External links